Decision 42 COM 7B.22

Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars (France) (C 1465)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 8B.24, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Welcomes the ongoing progress made by the State Party in strengthening the legal, planning and management framework of the property;
4. Encourages the State Party to continue its efforts in addressing the Committee recommendations, paying special attention to the following:
   1. Finalize the “Aires de valeur de l’architecture et du patrimoine” (AVAP) for Saint-Nicaise Hill and the Secteur sauvegardé for Reims with the plans and regulations currently under elaboration,
   2. Finalize the revision of the planning instruments so that their planning provisions are coherent with the regulations and plans for the newly-created protected zones,
   3. Finalize the study on the underground system of caves in Reims and develop the envisaged Risk Mananagement Plan according to the guide presented in annexe 11 of the state of conservation report submitted by the State Party in Novembre 2017,
   4. Continue the study on the landscape influence area undertaken in the framework of the impact assessments of the windfarm of Pocancy and Champigneul;
5. Commending the State Party for the rigorous analysis of the negative impacts of the planned windfarm in Pocancy and Champigneul and its consistent decision-making, concurs with the conclusions of the assessment carried out by the French authorities regarding the negative impacts of this infrastructure on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and requests the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre informed about the outcome of the appeal against the decision;
6. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2019, an updated report on the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.